Instrument panel for aircraft cockpits



Nov. 23, 1948.

H. w. CASE 2,454,272

INSTRUMENT PANEL FOR AIRCRAFT COCKPITS Filed April 19, 1946 Patented Nov. 23, 1948 INSTRUMENT PANEL ron AIRCRAF oooKPrrs I Y HaroI'd W. Case, Dayton, Ohio Application April 19, 1946, Serial No. 663,339 Claims. (01. 244-1) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to an instrument panel especially suited to but hotlimited to aircraft c'ockpits. Its object is to provide a unitary panel so curved that it is easily mounted on the inner contour of the cockpit and which permits the mounting of the instruments upon the panel so that they may be viewed by means of a line of sight which is perpendicular, or nearly so, to the face of each instrument.

It is well known that eyestrain is extremely fatiguing. This is especially true for aircr'ewmen after long elapsed time in flight. Then the least extra effort required to observe an instrument correctly becomes very burdensome. Delay in obtaining the reading can even be dangerous.

Present instrument panels are nearly always plane. Curved panels are not unknown, but such panels have heretofore been curved only in a single direction. The present panel is curved both horizontally and vertically and has in addition additional contours which will be hereinafter explained. By the coaction of the several contours, parallax is avoided and one instrument is as visible as any other from the prescribed position of the observers head.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a cockpit and the instrument panel mounted therein. The point of view is that which would be had by a pilot whose head was in the prescribed position.

Fig. 2 is a flattened projection of a panel according to the invention. It is to be understood that in the actual panel, there are no cut-out portions such as this view shows. Fig. 2 is also, however, a punched blank useful in one method of manufacturing the panel.

Fig. 3 is a projection of an actual panel taken on a line corresponding to the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1, H) is the inner wall of the cockpit and H a curved stiffening strut therein. l2i2 are metal legs which support one of the usual foot controls, the rudder pedal I4. I5 is the flight control stick. In this case the stick I5 is mounted on a side ledge [6 which may contribute support to the panel l3. The panel is mounted in the usual manner on shock mountings (not shown).

The panel is characterized by a horizontal curvature which will be apparent from its lower edge H. In the drawing, this edge I! is approximately the right half of the entire lower edge of curved in two directions.

the complete panel, The right hand edge l8of the panel need not have the exact contour shown; it may be changed to conform to the particular cockpit to be fitted. The panel has a vertical curvature which approximates that of its vertical sectional edge [9. It is obvious therefore that only about half of the panel is shown in Fig. 1, the left half of the panel being missing. It is necessaryfor the panel to be so shown, i. e., a fragmentary view, in order to show the vertical curvature by means of edge 19,

' This. invention comprises more than a panel In order that the dials 20 of each instrument may face the pilot squarely and perpendicularly, I provide flat planes or facets 2| having openings (not shown) in which the instruments are-to be mounted. The planes 2| are tangential to'the curve of thege eral panel surfaces. From their nature of facets, they generate bend lines which are of two kinds, horizontal 22 and vertical 23 (see Fig. 3).

In Fig. 2, the lower horizontal bend lines have opened into wedge-shaped dehiscences 24. The panel may therefore be stamped out of sheetmetal either in a drawing press into a piece having all curvatures and facets or it may be stamped in a punch press to a blank having the shape of Fig. 2, creased by bend lines. When the blank is installed, considerable hand-bending and welding of the dehiscences is necessary. Nevertheless, the blank of Fig. 2 has certain advantages where nonstandard cockpits must be fitted.

In nearly every airplane, there are two instruments that must be mounted perpendicularly to the thrust line of the aircraft, rather than in re lation to the pilot. These instruments are the gyro-horizon indicator and the master direction indicator. Sometimes it will be desired so to mount a stand-by compass. The most favorable position for such instruments is therefore nearly directly ahead of the pilot. These areas are 25 and are shown in all three figures. 26 is a cut out portion for the accommodation of gun sights. It may be omitted.

In general, the result aimed at, except in the case of areas 25 is for the instruments to be mounted on the surface of a sphere but in small flat areas which are tangential to such spherical surface. The pilots head should be at the approximate center of the sphere. Therefore, the pilots seat should be adjustable as to height and front and rear movement so that pilots of different heights, etc., can adjust it to bring their eyes to the approximate center of the spherical surfaced fragment, defined by the panel. Each distant. It is evident that such conditions will reduce eyestrain.

The invention claimed is: 1. An instrument panel having a horizontal curvature and a vertical curvature, the inner surface of said panel being divided by bend lines into a multiplicity of small plane areas substantially tangential to the curvature of panel, and no more than one instrument dial mounted in substantially each of said small plane areas whereby each instrument will be substantially perpendicular to the pilots line of sight.

2. An instrument panel having curvatures approximating those of a fragment of a spherical surface, said surface being divided by horizontal and vertical bend lines, a multiplicity of fiat areas in said panel formed by said bend lines and an instrument dial mounted in substantially each fiat area so that the dial is perpendicular to the line of sight of a pilot whose head is located substantially at the center of a sphere partially defined by the contours of said panel.

3. An instrument panel having curvatures generally approximating those of a fragment of an inner spherical surface, said panel being wider than high, a multiplicity of plane areas on the inner surface thereof, said areas being substantially tangential to the surface of the sphere and being defined by horizontal and Vertical bend lines in the panel.

4. An instrument panel having curvatures generally approximating those of a fragment of an inner spherical surface, said panel being wider than high, a multiplicity of flat areas on the inner surface of said panel, at least a majority of said areas being tangential to the surface of the sphere, and instrument dials mounted in said flat area's, substantially one per area whereby said dials-will be perpendicular to the line of sight of an aircrewmans head located at the substantial center of the sphere defined by the contours of said panel if said contours were completed.

5. A blank for an instrument panel comprising a stamped piece of sheet metal creased by bend lines and provided with dehiscences whereby said piece may be curved to become substantially the fragment of a sphere, flat areas defined. by said bend lines whereby at least a majority of said fiat areas may be disposed tangentially to the surface of said sphere when said dehiscences are closed.

HAROLD W. CASE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEN TS Number Hohmann and Maurer Mfg. 00., Rochester, N. Y., page 13. 

